Elsevier

Vaccine

Volume 30, Issue 30, 22 June 2012, Pages 4505-4510
Vaccine

Interest in having HPV vaccination among adolescent boys in England

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.04.066Get rights and content

Abstract

Background and purpose

The United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that boys aged 11–12 be vaccinated against HPV to reduce the risk of genital warts and HPV-related cancers. No recommendation has been made in England although there have been calls to widen access to the vaccine. This study aimed to assess boys’ willingness to have HPV vaccination, eliciting reasons for their decisions.

Methods

528 boys aged 16–18 years completed a questionnaire in school. Measures included demographic characteristics, HPV awareness, willingness to have the vaccine, and reasons for the vaccine decision. Coding of open responses was informed by social cognition model constructs.

Results

A large proportion of the sample (41%) intended to have the vaccine, however, slightly more were unsure (49%) and a small number (10%) would not get vaccinated. Uncertainty was associated with lack of previous awareness of HPV and perceived lack of adequate information. Boys who would not have the vaccine did not feel at risk or did not see the need for it.

Conclusion

These preliminary data suggest that HPV vaccination may be acceptable to boys, and confirm previous findings that information is vital in the decision-making process.

Highlights

► This is the first study to explore acceptability of HPV vaccination among boys in the UK. ► Only 10% of boys said they would not have the vaccine. ► The main reason for uncertainty about having the vaccine was lack of information.

Section snippets

Background

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is widely recommended for women for prevention of cervical cancer. Two high-risk viral types (HPVs 16 and 18) are associated with approximately 70% of cervical cancers and vaccine efficacy in HPV-naïve populations is high [1], [2]. One of the two available vaccines (the quadrivalent vaccine, Gardasil®) also protects against HPVs 6 and 11, which cause the majority of cases of genital warts. The Australian vaccination programme, using the

Participants

As part of a larger study with girls [32], all boys in years 12 and 13 (16–18 years old) attending one college in South East England were invited to take part in the survey during tutorial sessions. We selected this age group because in the UK individuals over the age of 16 can consent to vaccination without seeking their parents’ permission. Understanding the attitudes of boys who could make autonomous decisions regarding HPV vaccination was therefore considered important. In addition, for

Results

In total, 528 boys completed the questionnaire (89% participation). Mean age was 17 years and most boys were white (82%), not religious (54%) and not entitled to receive EMA (73%; Table 1). Just over half (52%; n = 273) of boys had previously heard of HPV. Forty-one per cent (n = 217) said they intended to have HPV vaccination if it were available to them, 49% (n = 257) were unsure and 10% (n = 54) said they would not have it. None of the demographic factors were associated with awareness of HPV or

Discussion

To our knowledge, this is the first study exploring boys’ awareness of HPV and their intentions to receive the HPV vaccine in the UK. About half of respondents had previously heard of HPV. This is slightly higher than studies of adolescent boys in other countries (e.g. [21], [22]), perhaps because the female classmates of our sample had been offered the HPV vaccine at college. Strikingly, even with very little information about the vaccine, and no information about its health benefits for boys,

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    Present address: Promoting Early Presentation Group, King's College London, Adamson Centre, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK.

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